Sudan: Prisoners, Missing, and Abducted People - a Continuing Crisis and Unresolved Reports - What Are the Police and Red Cross Doing?

What the report says

Sudan’s Interior Ministry says its electronic reporting system has received 550 reports of missing people since 15 April, according to Radio Dabanga’s reporting distributed by AllAfrica. The update comes amid continued concern in Khartoum and other areas affected by the conflict, where families are still seeking information about relatives who are missing, detained or believed to have been abducted.

Police spokesperson Brig Gen Fathalrahman El Tom said the figure does not capture everyone unaccounted for, noting that some detainees held by the Rapid Support Forces may never have been formally reported. He said police are involved in a government committee created to handle detainee cases, support release efforts and consider exchanges under the auspices of a UN envoy. Families have been urged to file reports with police stations or public prosecution offices, which officials describe as part of a humanitarian effort to document cases and protect relatives’ right to know the fate of loved ones.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is aware of recent public remarks about a possible detainee release and is in contact with relevant parties, including the UN. The organisation said it would act as a neutral intermediary if asked to help with any release operation, but would not comment publicly on ongoing discussions. It also said that decisions about who is included in any exchange remain with the parties themselves.

The report also notes that inspections of detention facilities are continuing under public prosecution oversight, and that a court in Dongola recently handed down death sentences to several police officers in a detainee-death case, underscoring wider scrutiny of detention conditions and accountability in Sudan.